The Catalan Dominance in the Western Sea
Mariano Barbasán Laguerue King Pedro of Aragon at the Pass of Pass of Panissars I have nearly completed the draft of a new chapter telling the story of the Crusade against Aragon undertaken by Philip, king of France, with the papal endorsement in 1285. As personal matters played a significant role in the train of events, I put the ousting of Charles of Anjou from the Sicilian throne as one of the main reasons for this enterprise. Admiral Roger of Lauria cast a long shadow on Catalan maritime activities, and my account devotes some time to his tactics, especially in the Battle of Las Formigues. The ill-fated Crusade ended with the French recognition (de facto) of the Catalan dominance in the Western Mediterranean Sea. I follow the plot issued by Ramon Muntaner's Chronicle. My next topic is the sack of Constantinople by the participants of the Fourth Crusade. I've just started collecting the data. I will speak briefly of the zigzags of the Crusade and focus on the amphi...